Genius lettuce hack ‘puts people to sleep in seconds’ – and people swear by it

There's some science to back it up as well

People have been vouching for an unusual technique to help you get to sleep - a nice mug of boiled lettuce water. The trend went viral on TikTok with a video from user @shaple_11 demonstrating the technique racking up 1.5m likes. In the clip, she can be seen boiling a kettle before pouring the hot water on some washed lettuce leaves, which are in a mug. She also adds a peppermint tea bag for taste, lets it all brew, before removing the lettuce leaves and enjoying her leafy drink. And sure enough, it seems to make her drowsy, before pretty much leaving her out for count.

@shapla_11 if you can’t sleep, try this #lettucewater #insomnia #lifehacks #fyp ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

People were quick to voice their amazement in the comments, with one person joking they were on their way to the shop to "buy 30 lettuces." A second said: "Thanks babe gonna try this at some point." And another vouched for the technique, saying: "My mum used to do this for me, boiled water and leave it in the pan for 5 min on a minimum heat, always worked a treat and it’s all natural.” There is some science behind this as well, with research suggesting that the lactucarium in lettuce could have sleep-inducing properties. One study found that lactucarium had a sedative effect on mice. The 2017 research paper stated: "Lactuca sativa (lettuce), an annual herb which belongs to the Compositae family, is known for its medicinal value. "Traditionally, lettuce has been suggested to have a sedative-hypnotic property. "The results of this study show that lettuce, especially romaine lettuce, is an interesting and cheap source of sleep-potentiating material and antioxidant polyphenols." And, according to Sleepstation, lettuce has been used as a sleep aid for "thousands of years." So next time you're struggling to get some shuteye, don't reach for the chamomile tea. Grab a nice lettuce instead, and put the kettle on. Related links:

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